JNGD.S8.G42 Recap: Jets Win With An Avalanche Of Goals

In a game where the Winnipeg Jets were out-shot 41 to 20, it was the home side that comes away with a 7-4 win against the Colorado Avalanche because hockey is a funny sport and doesn’t make sense at times.

FIRST PERIOD

Sometimes it’s not always about “how many” but “how” and while the Avalanche led the period in shots 14-7, it’s the Jets that come out of the first period with a 2-1 lead.

The Avalanche got a power play 13 seconds in which didn’t help things from a Jets momentum perspective. Even after the penalty kill, the Avalanche seemed to have the ice tilted to the Jets end.

But as things go in hockey, it’s not always about how many, but about cashing in on a good counter attack play and Brandon Tanev with Mathieu Perreault did just that on the Jets fourth shot of the game.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Awkward save at one end… Great pass and beautiful hands at the other to give the #NHLJets a 1-0 lead.

SECOND PERIOD

Jets discipline – albeit some softer calls than we’d like to see – continued to be a bit of an issue as the second period started as Patrik Laine got dinged for a second penalty in the game, but again the Jets found a way to turn a negative into a positive with a beautiful short handed goal.

At this point halfway into the game it sure felt like the Jets had everything under control even if they continued to be out-shot, they didn’t give up much of anything overly dangerous in the middle frame. While Winnipeg did get out-shot badly in the middle frame again, this time 15-7, the high danger chances were only at 3-2 in favor of the Avalanche.

Still, the Avs rallied at the end of the second as the Jets maybe got guilty of taking their foot off the gas and making a couple of bad mistakes.

Avalanche goal.. Morrow with a bad pinch and Kulikov struggles with a bouncing puck. Jets still lead 4-2. pic.twitter.com/R9TkznmH1t

THIRD PERIOD

Andrew Copp and the Jets fourth line – which had a pretty strong night all around – gave the team a bit of breathing room early in the third after some good forechecking forced the Avs into a couple of bad turnovers.

Again, you would have thought this would have been enough to ice things and get the Jets to lock things up at this point, but credit Colorado for being a pesky bunch that didn’t go away in the game. They once out-shot the Jets in the period 12-7, although one could argue that was a little bit more of score effects coming into play. Sure enough the Jets held the edge in high danger scoring chances 3-2.

The Avalanche pulled the goalie down three goals with about three minutes left and wouldn’t ya know, they got one almost right away.

Connor Hellebuyck finished the night with 37 saves on 41 shots and a lot of the goals he let in were off of deflections and screens as teams have gotten wise to creating all sorts of traffic in front of the Jets net to get scoring chances.

The Jets held on though and even with an Avalanche penalty, the Avs still pulled the goalie and the Jets for some reason passed the puck around a little more than one would think would happen with a wide open cage.

#NHLJets made this empty net goal a little bit more of an adventure than they maybe need to.. But it's a seventh goal on the night and Trouba's third point. pic.twitter.com/ZPef1a7R4B